Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog

by Dave Barry

In this “little gem” (Washington Independent Review of Books), Pulitzer Prize–winning columnist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Barry learns how to age happily from his old but joyful dog, Lucy. As Dave Barry turns seventy—not happily—he realizes that his dog, Lucy, is dealing with old age far better than he is. She has more friends, fewer worries, and way more fun. So Dave decides to figure out how Lucy manages to stay so happy, to see if he can make his own life happier by doing the things she does (except for drinking from the toilet). He reconnects with old friends and tries to make new ones—which turns out to be a struggle, because Lucy likes people a lot more than he does. And he gets back in touch with two ridiculous but fun groups from his the Lawn Rangers, a group of guys who march in parades pushing lawnmowers and twirling brooms (alcohol is involved), and the Rock Bottom Remainders, the world’s oldest and least-talented all-author band. With each new lesson, Dave riffs hilariously on dogs, people, and life in general, while also pondering Deep Questions, such as when it’s okay to lie. ( when scallops are involved.) Lessons From Lucy shows you a new side to Dave Barry that’s “touching and sentimental, but there’s still a laugh on every page” (The Sacramento Bee). The master humorist has written a witty and affable guide to joyous living at any age.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Memoir, Animals, Dogs, Audiobook, Self Help

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2019

About the author

Dave Barry is a humor writer. For 25 years he was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers in the United States and abroad. In 1988 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Many people are still trying to figure out how this happened.
Dave has also written many books, virtually none of which contain useful information. Two of his books were used as the basis for the CBS TV sitcom "Dave's World," in which Harry Anderson played a much taller version of Dave.
Dave plays lead guitar in a literary rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Stephen King, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson and Mitch Albom. They are not musically skilled, but they are extremely loud. Dave has also made many TV appearances, including one on the David Letterman show where he proved that it is possible to set fire to a pair of men's underpants with a Barbie doll.
In his spare time, Dave is a candidate for president of the United States. If elected, his highest priority will be to seek the death penalty for whoever is responsible for making Americans install low-flow toilets.
Dave lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife, Michelle, a sportswriter. He has a son, Rob, and a daughter, Sophie, neither of whom thinks he's funny.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Humorist Dave Barry wrote a syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald for more than two decades and is the author of many amusing memoirs. In this book, Barry relates seven life lessons he learned from his beloved dog Lucy. The lessons are largely common sense, but the anecdotes from Barry's life provide a nice personal touch.


Dave Barry

The book is uneven, with some stories that are laugh out loud funny and some that are rather mundane.

*****

Barry has always been a 'dog person' and starts the book with amusing stories about his previous canines: Mistral, Earnest, and Zippy. About ten years ago, Barry's family adopted a new dog, Lucy, from a rescue agency, and Lucy proved to be beautiful inside and out. Lucy knows how to be happy, and that's the idea behind Barry's 'Lessons from Lucy.'


Dave Barry and Lucy

*****

Lesson 1: Make New Friends, And Keep The Ones You Have

Lucy greets almost everyone she meets, both people and dogs, with her tail wagging. Lucy loves everyone and therefore has loads of friends.

Barry on the other hand, has fallen out of touch with old friends and rarely makes new ones. So he's made a vow: "When I meet new people, I'm going to make an effort to not hide behind my humor barrier, not to use my age (70) as an excuse. I'm going to think about Lucy and be open to new friendships and stay in better touch with my old friends."



*****

Lesson 2: Have Some Fun

Lucy has fun all the time. She loves to play with her family, her toys, and other dogs.

Barry fears that he's stopped having fun now that he's older, and wants to remedy that by reviving his involvement with two organizations that he found enjoyable in the past: 'The World Famous Lawn Rangers' and the 'Rock Bottom Remainders.'

The World Famous Lawn Rangers are a marching unit that performs precision lawn mower-and-broom routines in parades (by precision, he means not even remotely precise). Each Ranger, wearing a cowboy hat, marches holding a broom in one hand and pushing a lawn mower with the other.

At the 'brooms up' command, the Rangers raise their brooms and either 'walk the dog' (run around in small circles turning the mowers 360 degrees) or 'cross and toss' (switch places with other Rangers and toss their brooms to each other).





The Lawn Rangers have marched in parades all over the country, including the Rose Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, and President Obama's inauguration parade. Dave hasn't marched with the Rangers in a while, but hopes to rejoin them soon.
______

The Rock Bottom Remainders are a rock band composed of authors. Some of the original members were Amy Tan, Stephen King, Ridley Pearson, Roy Blount Jr., Barbara Kingsolver, and others.



The Rock Bottom Remainders - who perform at book-related or benefit events - were always terrible (musically speaking), and Roy Blount Jr. described their musical genre as 'hard listening.' However, the group developed a repertoire of onstage shtick and hijinks that was very entertaining. The band sometimes has 'guest musicians', and when Carl Hiaasen performed with the band he was so nervous that he brought his guitar teacher onstage with him. 😄



Dave hasn't played with the band recently, and is looking to remedy that.

*****

Lesson 3: Be Mindful: Pay AttentionTo The People You Love (Not Later, Right Now).

Lucy is always fully present in the moment. She doesn't second guess the past or fret about the future (she's a dog, after all). For instance, when the trash man comes to collect the garbage, Lucy strenuously objects (by barking).....but the instant the man is gone, Lucy forgets about him.

Barry, on the other hand, is often not 'in the moment.' Like many other people, Barry is constantly checking his phone or thinking about other things - even when he's with family and/or friends. He hopes to change that.



*****

Lesson 4: Let Go Of Your Anger, Unless It's About Something Really Important, Which It Almost Never Is.

Lucy doesn't hold on to anger. She gets mad sometimes: at the garbage man, the Goodyear blimp, and sometimes at dogs that (for some unknown reason) she decides are assholes. But as soon as the cause of her anger is gone, Lucy is over it.

Barry gets angry much more often than Lucy, at lots of things, such as:
- People who sample too many flavors at the ice cream shop when there's a big line behind them. He sometimes thinks to himself: "If everyone else in line hated you as much as I do, your body would burst into flames from the hate rays being beamed at it."
- People who stop at a red light and immediately look down at their phone, not paying attention to when the light turns green again.
- People who repeatedly stand up at a sports event, so the spectators behind them can't see.
- People who litter.
- People who don't say thank you when you hold the door for them.
- And lots more.

Barry gets especially angry at Comcast customer service and tells a hilarious story about this. But, taking an example from Lucy, Barry is trying to let things go a little more.

*****

Lesson 5: Try Not To Judge People By Their Looks, And Don't Obsess Over Your Own.

Lucy doesn't judge other dogs by their appearance.

Unlike dogs, humans are obsessed with looks, a trait that's hard-wired into human biology. In prehistoric times - for reasons related to natural selection - women were attracted to men who could provide food and protection (that is, guys who were strong and aggressive) and men were attracted to women who were fertile (that is gals who looked attractive....which is indicative of good health).



In modern times, physical traits are less important for human survival but men and women are still attracted to a certain kind of look. Barry notes that he never resembled the man who - in caveman days - would have helped with the mastodon hunt. Instead, Dave always looked like the guy who would have stayed a safe distance away and cracked jokes. As a result, teenage Dave had a hard time attracting girls....especially the pretty girls he liked.

When Barry got older, he learned to appreciate qualities other than looks, like intelligence, sense of humor, honesty, wisdom, courage, generosity, etc. The moral is, you shouldn't judge people by their appearance. There are exceptions of course.....and you can be legitimately put off by folks who have a swastika tattooed on their forehead.



*****

Lesson 6: Don't Let Your Happiness Depend On Things; They Don't Make You Truly Happy, And You'll Never Have Enough Anyway.

Lucy doesn't worry about hurricanes....which tend to mess with our things. She doesn't get nervous because she doesn't know a storm is coming. 🐶

Humans, however, become frantic when a hurricane is approaching, and Barry tells a long story about this. I'll cite some brief excerpts.

Barry's family, which lives in Florida, sees a lot of big storms. One thing Barry and his wife do when a storm approaches is buy supplies, like food....."sandwich makings, canned soup, Spam, candy, chips....and enough granola bars and peanut-butter crackers to supply a cruise ship for six months at sea."





After the hurricane, when there's no electricity - and people are left without internet/phone/cable - the restoration of power becomes an all-consuming obsession. People "would sacrifice a goat if they thought it would bring their power back, and they had a goat." In large part, this is because people can't tolerate the loss of technological conveniences and diversions: computers, internet, big screen TVs, etc.

Barry writes about how happy he was when, in 1955, his family got their first television - even though it was tiny and had horrible reception.



Now, like many people, Barry has a ton of 'stuff'.....and it's not enough. He's always buying more.



Having learned simplicity from Lucy, Barry plans to divest himself of superfluous belongings.

*****

Lesson 7: Don't Lie Unless You Have A Really Good Reason, Which You Probably Don't.

Lucy and other dogs are honest to a fault. You always know when dogs have done a bad thing because they 'confess' by whimpering and looking guilty. Cats on the other hand, have no remorse and have the morals of Hannibal Lecter. Barry writes: "If you come home and find your cat inside your parakeet's cage, holding your dead parakeet in its jaws, your cat will be like 'Obviously this parakeet committed suicide'."

People are more like cats than dogs. They lie all the time. Sometimes folks tell little white lies - like when a six-year-old, watching a commercial, asks 'What is Viagra'; or a friend texts something meant to be funny and you text back LOL when you're really OMA (Only Mildly Amused).

But often, people tell serious untruths - especially politicians.

Barry believes it's almost always better to be honest with people. Act like Lucy, "if you mess up, fess up."



*****

At the end of the book Dave assesses the changes he's been trying to make in his life and his (self-assessed) grades for the seven lessons are: C, A, C+, B-, B-, B+, B.

Not too bad.

This isn't one of Dave Barry's best books (IMO) but it's still worth reading if you need a smile.



Thanks to Netgalley, Dave Barry, and Simon & Schuster for a copy of the book.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why I chose to read this book:
1. for Humor Month, I wanted to read my favorite humorist, Dave Barry's latest publication; and,
2. I was a little worried about reading this book about his dog, but when I found out that, no, his dog doesn't die, I signed it out from my library!

Positives:
1. using, in his own words, "humor, sarcasm and wiseassery", Barry reflects on aging by observing Lucy, his elderly dog, and gleaning seven life lessons (which he states are obvious) from her simple life filled with joy and happiness. He also grades himself on these lessons;
2. although he shares hilarious outlooks and reminiscences about himself, other people and dogs, this book, surprisingly, is quite insightful! He had me laughing and crying!; and,
3. his thoughts were so relatable about Facebook, utility companies, mindfulness, strangers, and many more topics! I got a new appreciation for how Floridians prepare for a hurricane!

I love several quotes form this book! A new favorite by Dave Barry!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Dave Barry’s newspaper column back in the day, especially when he wrote about Earnest and Zippy. So, I jumped at the chance to read his latest book, Lessons from Lucy, combining as it did his trademark wit and stories about a dog.

Like Dave, I am the parent of an older large dog. I’m reading this book, at the point where Dave writes that “when we say her name or reach down to pet her, her tail thumps the floor in a drumbeat of joy”, at the same time that I’m petting Cooper, whose tail is thumping the floor in the same drumbeat.

There’s no new ground covered here. You could write out all the lessons without reading the book. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun book or that I didn’t laugh. I did. Sometimes out loud. So many of his stories hit home for me. “Whenever you see the word “motivational” used in a corporate training context, you should just substitute the word “stupid”.” Yup. Or when he recounts his fun with Comcast because I swear I’ve had the exact same conversation with those idiots.

It’s an extremely easy read and is perfect when you need an escape from the heavy dramas or psychological thrillers. And it reminds us of the most important lesson of all, that time is fleeting and we should enjoy it with our two and four legged loved ones.

My thanks to netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book.

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog by Dave Barry is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary.
This book is so full of warmth, love, tenderness, humor, insight, and just good old common sense! His writing flows with wit and wisdom, love and memories, hope and a canine spirit. He gives lessons he has, and is learning from his elderly dog Lucy. Each lesson is something we all could work on. They each are heavily sprinkled with humor and common sense. Some are more emotional than others. This is a must buy book for yourself, for dog lovers, for those getting older, for those that think they have everything! Terrific book!

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesterday morning I began reading Dave Barry’s Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog and laughed out loud and was glad that, for me, it was a dog-oriented day, and happy that these two coincided by happenstance.

With a few exceptions, I’ve had a dog (or two) most of the years of my life. When I was an infant, my mother used to put me down for my naps on our Irish Setter, and he would watch over me, like “Nana” in Peter Pan. When I began to try to walk, he would knock me back down on all fours, so certain was he that I belonged on all fours, as I belonged to him. As I write this, I have two dogs sleeping beside me.

Inside this collection of Barry’s musings are seven chapters, each one a “Lesson from Lucy,” all of which are based on struggles that Dave Barry might have, and the wisdom he gains, the perspective he receives when he sees how Lucy responds when faced with challenges.

From topics like the 1954-1973 TV show“Lassie,” to how routine oriented dogs can be, to some of the things they seem to have conquered – the state of being happy seems to be what dogs do best. And so he examines their methods of achieving happiness (or avoiding unhappiness), by observing how they deal with life, in general.

There are also stories that include friends of his, both here and gone, that are incredibly touching stories. His stories of his years with The Rock Bottom Remainders,a band comprised of Barry and other authors, including Amy Tan, Stephen King, Roy Blount, Jr. Robert Fulghum, Ridley Pearson, Barbara Kingsolver, Matt Groening and others, a band that was meant to disband after a single performance, but as time went by added more as others left, including occasionally actual “big-time”musicians such as Judy Collins, Springsteen and Warren Zevon.

Sweet and humorous, this made me (and Stephen King) laugh out loud. His observations on our need for such platforms as Facebook, the frustrations of dealing with Comcast, AARP, and preparing for a hurricane is not something I’d associate with humour, but even this one had me laughing.

While this may not have answers to the larger questions of life, and reading it will not cure any major health issues, it is full of the medicine of laughter, and as they say – laughter is the best medicine. I say, laughter - and a dog - are the best medicine.


Published: 02 Apr 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Simon & Schuster

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Barry fans will not be disappointed! In Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog, Barry shares all the humor, perspective, and life lessons he has been gifted during his time with his dog Lucy. With seven chapters in total, each chapter shares a new lesson but Barry tends to go the long way around in revealing it. That's a good thing though. Laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes deeply thought-provoking, the lessons touch on the following subjects:

-be friendly
-find opportunities to have fun
-give priority time to loved ones
-let go of anger
-don't judge people by appearances
-material items won't make you happy
-be honest

As you can see, quality stuff inspired by the playfulness, love, and loyalty of man's (and woman's) best friend. Check it out!



Thank you to goodreads and Simon & Schuster! I was a Giveaways winner of a paperback ARC (advance reader's copy) of Lessons From Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog.

[Theresa Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Lessons from Lucy, Dave Barry looks to his dog for ways to be a happier human. Lucy loves everyone and adjusts to whatever circumstances come her way. She’s friends with everyone, and so Dave puts more efforts into existing friendships and develop new ones.

I chuckled out loud many times over the course of this book. In the course of laughing, he also reminds you of stuff like pay less attention to your phone and more to the people you love. Yes, every self-help book ever written talks about that, but it’s an important reminder nonetheless.
As self-help books go, this one is more fun than most.
Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're only young once, but you can always be immature.

Another laugh-out-loud collection from Barry; this time the focus is on aging gracefully . . . like a dog.

Actually, Lucy's lessons are great for any age group: live in the moment, don't forget how to have fun, looks aren't important, etc. It's just that, as Bonnie Raitt once reminded us - time gets mighty precious when there's less of it to waste - so we readers-of-a-certain-age need to start paying more attention to what we're doing with what's left of our lives.

Though there are bits here that will appeal strongly to pet owners, you really don't need to be a dog lover to enjoy this book. Likewise, if, like me, you love dogs so much that the sight of that dear, elderly, canine face on the cover gives you pause because you don't want to read yet another book where the dog dies . . . relax. As of April 4th of this year, Lucy is still alive, and dispensing wisdom.

A great read for those times when you want a both a laugh, and a warm, sort of pensive feeling.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so we've got Dave Barry, who can always be counted on to elicit the "snort milk from your nose" kind of laughter when you least expect it. And we've got Lucy, his old dog, who lives a good, character driven life, because she's a dog, and that's what they do. And Lucy does not die in the end. So what's not to love about this one?

Absolutely nothing. Dave tries to be more like his dog, giving us lessons he learned and grading his successes. It mostly works out.
The last chapter, though, gets much more serious, as his family has to work through an unexpected illness, but he, and we, learn even more appreciation for how good our lives truly are.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Barry’s trademark wit combined with poignant thoughts about aging and what we can learn from our canine companions made for a wonderful audio experience!

As a native Floridian, I grew up with Dave’s column in The Miami Herald and Tropic Sunday magazine. So when I saw that my friend Cheri gave this the nod, this Dave & Dog lover knew she had to listen.

The lessons are simple enough, self-evident wisdom really, but it’s the way Dave has of reminding us that aging doesn’t mean we can’t find the humor and joyful simplicity in our everyday lives. It also means it's never too late to be better. Each lesson is filled with anecdotes and personal nuggets and all throughout Lucy permeates the book, her sugared muzzle in every word.

As another author recently wrote…I think the magic of everybody’s dog, or any pet, is that they will save you from an existential crisis at any moment. And it seems Dave is going through a bit of a crisis as he ages, but then aren’t we all to some degree?

On a personal note, I can say that my beautiful Avedon taught me what it was to be noble; my soul mate, Tallulah, showed me what true loyalty looked like; Harper Lee constantly reminds me to be true to yourself; and my goofy boy, Winston, makes me remember that there is joy to be found in every moment.

Highly recommended if you like Dave’s brand of humor or if you love dogs or if you need a little reminder to be your best self. This hit every one of my buttons and I will likely listen to this a dozen more times over the years.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🐕 🐕 🐕 🐕
I have my friend Diane Barnes to thank for pointing the way to this one 😘. I had to wait quite a while for the audio read by Dave himself and it was worth it. This is so funny it had me laughing out loud in public, and sadly, I don’t even do that in private very often but after this book I will try harder.
You do not need to be a dog lover to appreciate this one and the lessons from Lucy are not complex, rather along the lines of I want to be the kind of person my dogs thinks I am; very wise and worth embracing and put into action by all of us.
The final epilogue chapter which was added after the book was complete is more serious and lovingly, and very emotionally read, by a very grateful author, and the perfect denouement.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many reasons, this was both a very funny and very melancholy read for me. My husband noted that I was laughing last night and crying this morning (more on that later), and that crying is not my normal MO when reading Dave Barry.

I believe I have a reasonable claim to the title of Dave Barry’s Biggest Fan, in the sense of having read pretty much everything he ever wrote and sort of generally following him for the past several decades. While these wise, funny and heartfelt stories about the dogs in his life and the lessons he learned from them offered many laugh-out-loud moments, there was also a focus on aging that made me indescribably sad.

I mean, I remember reading his stories about Earnest and Zippy back when they were happening in real time; and now he points out that he lost them in his divorce, many years ago. I always hoped I might someday have a chance to see the Rock Bottom Remainders, but he notes several of the members have passed away, and the rest have mostly stopped playing together. One of my favorite books, which I read when it came out in 1984, is Babies and Other Hazards of Sex: How to Make a Tiny Person in Only 9 Months, with Tools You Probably Have Around the Home written when his son Rob was the titular baby. Rob is now married and has a son, and Dave is a grandfather. He’ll be 75 this year!

Time is passing too fast and I can’t take it. So please, Dave – take care of yourself. I know we don’t know each other, but you mean a lot to me, and I need you to live and keep writing books until you are at least 99. Thank you.

I didn’t expect to be sobbing when I finished this. The final chapter was added later, unexpectedly, and it chronicles a very painful event. After he had finished the book, Dave’s daughter Sophie suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down, two days before she was supposed to start her freshman year at Duke University. After rushing to the hospital they learned that a disorder called Transverse Myelitis caused her immune system to malfunction, and it attacked her spinal cord. Some people never regain the ability to walk. But after several months in the hospital, it turned out that she was not one of them, thank God. If I got the timeline correct, she should just about be graduating from Duke this year (2022). Congratulations, Sophie! I can’t even begin to imagine what this ordeal would be like for anyone, but Dave’s beautiful writing gives a glimpse of what his family went through, and the final lesson of the book – be grateful.

[Keri Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m an outlier on this one. I listened to the audiobook and though the author narrates well, perhaps reading is a better experience? I started out enjoying his humor and being amused by his story. He lives in Florida, so I could relate to some of his observations about bugs, hurricanes, etc. I think others might likely enjoy this more than I did.

[Patrick Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

18 April 2019 - Finished the book about 12:30 am last night - could not put it down.

Such a gas - loved it. The whole book was so funny, entertaining, insightful and precious... till the last chapter, which was very different: personal (to the max), revelatory, emotional, heartbreaking, heartwarming and also thoughtful. What a total package.

Dave Barry is one of my very favorite authors.

He has such a great mix of totally irreverent, off the wall humor, yet sticks in many incisive observations that stand the test of time and human nature.

Though I would dare say that the vast majority of his fans do not think of themselves as libertarian - he is one and shares many of those insights in his books.
Perhaps those points are too undercover for most readers to notice or worry about?
Or possibly they just come across as being another wild rant that is more funny than true?
He certainly backpedals sometimes (when he thinks he may have gone too far?).
And he poo-poos wild statements often enough. Of self deprecation, he is a master.

But here are a few statements that I wish more people took more seriously - laughing at them is fine - but in a bitterly sarcastic way, that means you understand the underlying truth.

Loved the scenes where he describes Lucy, his dog, the hero of the book, and her "stuffed chew toys, including dolls representing John McCain and Hillary Clinton." (pp. 51-2)

"Diversity training - This is a process whereby a corporation makes a group of employees sit in a room with a professional diversity trainer, who subjects them to lectures, videos and role-playing exercises about the importance of respecting each other until the employees finally come to the realization that they hate the diversity trainer and want to do the diametrical opposite of whatever he or she is telling them."

"There is no American institution more monumentally incompetent than the federal government."

"So don't be like our political leadership. Be like Lucy." (his dog, who he has shown throughout the book to be an incredibly admirable creature, eminently worth emulating)

(lying) "It's wrong because even if a lie helps you, it deceives somebody else, and it undermines the trust that holds us all together. If we can't trust each other, we can't work with each other, learn from each other, enjoy each other, love each other. Lying makes the world a dodgier, crappier place." - And that is about the greatest statement anyone can make.

"I almost never argue about politics anymore, and I have pretty much stopped watching the nonstop freak-out-a-thon that is cable-TV news. I am a far happier person for it."

----
The book is a very fast, enjoyable read. I made it all the way through in about 6 hours or so. At 225 pages total, that is a really, really rapid page rate for me of about 37 pages/hr. My normal, for most any book is more like 10-15 pp/hr, for a pulp fiction book all the way to Human Action.

P.S. I got lucky and noticed that Dave Barry was in the area I lived not long after this book was published, to give a public talk, put on by an area bookstore. I bought a ticket and went - what great fun to see him again in person and highlight various parts of the book in his talk as well as answer some questions. Super-likeable guy and very funny in person, not just in writing.

[H (no longer expecting notifications) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Barry wanted his family to have a dog and he describes how that came about in his usual hilarious prose. The dog that his family got worked out well for both “Lucy” and the family who were living in Florida. Lucy was no purebred, but whether that affected her temperament is open to discussion. Here is some of how Barry describes her loving behavior.

"Tail wagging wildly, she towed the volunteer over to Sophie and Stella—she could have towed a freight train—and the three of them commenced a lovefest, rolling around the grass, Monaco licking the girls and lying on her back, paws in the air, while Sophie and Stella climbed all over her. “I guess she’s good with kids,” I said to Michelle. In theory we were going to wait until after this meeting to decide whether we wanted to adopt Monaco. In actual fact the decision was made the instant Sophie and Monaco laid eyes on each other. We now had a dog, whose new name, bestowed by Sophie, was Lucy."

Barry is a writer of funny stuff, but by his own admission he is more content than happy in his senior years. In turning to Lucy he attempts to see what he can change to have her approach to life.

This book may be as serious as Barry ever becomes in writing…and that isn’t very much. But, he conveys successfully the elements in Lucy’s character that drive his efforts at self-improvement.

3.5

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This started out, and actually ended, as a very sweet, funny look at seven lessons we can learn from Barry's dog Lucy, a ten-year-old mutt who lives life to the fullest. She loves food and walks and treats and being petted. Barry's advice is quite solid: let go of anger and grudges, hang on to friends, look for things to do that are fun and bring you joy. He talks about Hurricane Irma, which derails some of his plans to emulate Lucy by being more outgoing, and finishes with a report card describing how he's doing with these lessons and the goals that he has set.

And then the book keeps going. Suddenly at the end, past the epilogue, there's more. Just days after turning in the final manuscript, which was ready to go to print, a medical emergency hit their family. With audible tears (and I do recommend the audiobook for this very reason), Barry tells about what his family went through, speaking with love and gratitude of family and friends and medical professionals who helped them through it. It is not only some of his finest writing (he actually manages to tie some of it back to Lucy!) but also simultaneously one of the loveliest and most intense stories that I have ever heard him relate. The book is worth it just for that finale.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as an audiobook for my book club’s holiday selection for December. It was supposed to be a light read and inspiring. It was narrated by the author/comedic columnist. From the title and summary on Goodreads, I had been assuming it would be about Mr. Barry’s dog, Lucy, who taught him life lessons in her old age as he was simultaneously entering his own old age, having turned 70 at that time.

But what I got from this book was very little of Lucy and her wisdom, and plenty about Mr. Barry as he rambled in circles around whatever it was he was trying to say, to the point that I couldn’t even remember where each story he was telling began or how it connected to a Lucy lesson. I admit Mr. Barry had me laughing out loud maybe half a dozen times over the course of this 4 hour audiobook, though more often I cringed at his jokes, some of them mean-spirited and showing what a curmudgeonly guy he could be. At least he spent a final chapter reviewing the lessons he wanted to impart so I could remember them, while he admitted they weren’t anything we didn’t already know from our own experience. I was ready to throw my hands in the air at this, despite driving at the time, just when there was a surprise chapter after that one, the subject being one I won’t spoil, but it provided a change of tone and some substance worth the wait.

So if you’re looking for a heartwarming book about an old dog, look elsewhere, since Lucy grows up in a flash within the first few minutes of this book and barely makes any appearances later on that aren’t overshadowed by her master who seems to need to talk about himself nonstop, except for the last surprise chapter. And no, that chapter is not about Lucy. But if you’re a fan of Mr. Barry and want to know more about his life and family, and you don’t mind equal parts corniness and crankiness, this might be a book you can enjoy.

Favorite lesson from this book: “Be grateful for what you have.”

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What could be better than combing Dave Barry's humor and the love of a dog? Lessons from Lucy: The Simple Joys of an Old, Happy Dog was a perfect read to refresh my mental health and adjust my attitude. I laughed out loud and I felt warm and squishy inside.

Barry admits he's always been a 'dog person,' as have I. My childhood mutt Pepper and I loved each other. She followed me to school, sometimes even got into the school to show up at my classroom door. I would lay on the floor to color and Pepper would place her chin on the small of my back. I loved to stroke her long, soft, floppy ears. For Barry, his childhood dog surpassed Lassie in heroism, for Mistral would eat the Brussels Sprouts Barry slipped to him during dinner!

Barry shares his dog stories and stories from his family life to illustrate the lessons Lucy has taught him about how to live.

I cracked up over so many things. He takes on Facebook and electronic devices, the horror of shellfish as "Phlegms of the Sea," white lies, hurricane preparation, teenage angst over appearance, and the difference between dogs and cats. Dogs feel guilt, even if they haven't done anything wrong; cats "have the morals of Hannibal Lecter."

The seven lessons are not profound or unexpected, but essential and wise. Barry even scores himself on how he has been progressing in trying to put the lessons into practice!

It's worth a try. I sure envy the happiness of old dogs. Our Shibas in their golden years impressed me with the smiles on their faces just enjoying the comfort of a thick foam bed.

I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Dave Barry, I’m a dog person. I’ve had dogs for most of my life and cannot conceive of living without one. They are truly creatures of joy and are always a delight, except when they chew one of your prized books or pee in the house. But these are small prices to pay for such a happy, sweet and loving friend.

Dave takes us through seven lessons he has learned from his 11 year old dog Lucy. Interspersed throughout and between these lessons are related and unrelated observations on life plus some amusing anecdotes. You will get Dave’s thoughts on such diverse topics as diversity training, Comcast (which Dave lovingly calls Bomcast) customer service, hurricane preparedness, when lying is permissible, and more.

Dave Barry is funny — no question about it and you will chuckle, snicker and laugh out loud while reading this book. But hidden among the fun and hilarity are nuggets of wisdom that have the potential to improve our lives. Lessons from Lucy is a fun quick read that will make you laugh and then laugh some more plus learn some invaluable life advice from a mixed-breed dog.

Dave Barry is a very talented writer, having won a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988. For twenty-two years, Barry wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for the Miami Herald. He is the author of more than 30 books with the bulk of them being humorous non-fiction works.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[John of Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dave Barry never fails to make me laugh.I am a big fan of lists and these are included.I was expecting a tearjerker and it was but not for the reasons I expected.This book is a keeper and a nice gift idea.Read it!

[Moonkiszt · Rating 3 out of 5]

2024 Re-read for Book Club - RTC. . .

May 2021 read:
I'm not a dog person. Why I picked this up, I'm not exactly sure, except I spent a period of my life enjoying Dave Barry's columns. Then columns went away and I haven't had any Dave Barry contact. . .well. You know what I mean. So, the listen starts, and I'm not really hanging in there, but then the lessons Lucy his old, happy dog taught him are shared:

Lesson 1: Make New Friends (And keep the ones you have) - and some remarkable abilities of dogs to smell from body odor a particular aspect that some folks have and some don't . . .which I took to mean some of us get something from our friends others don't and that makes them special . . . you can't go too far with that without getting into a weird area. . .

Lesson 2: Have some fun. Then he goes on for a long time about some odd groups he's been in. Odd groups are funner than Normal groups. But you know that. You can YouTube his odd groups (Rock Bottom Remainders)

Lesson 3: Pay attention to the people you love . . .now not later.

Lesson 4: Let go of your anger, unless it is about something important - which it isn't usually.

Lesson 5: Try not to judge people by looks, or you either

Lesson 6: Happiness doesn't come from your things! You'll never have enough, they won't satisfy

Lesson 7: Don't lie unless you have a really good reason - and you probably don't.

As he went through all of these life lessons, he wove in stories about his beloved dog Lucy and how she taught these things to him. It was a love story, for sure.

[☮Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Dave Barry since the 80's and his weekly syndicated column appeared in our Sunday Chicago Tribune magazine. His sarcastic, snarky humor always gets me bursting out loud in laughter. So I have been trying to get my hands on this book for over a year; finally the wait list on Overdrive is manageable.
A book about his love for his old dog Lucy and what we might learn from our pet dogs to live our golden years with more patience, friends, and fun, something we could all use. I tried to see any such parallel lessons from my deeply disturbed rescue cat, but it didn't work as well as it does for Dave and Lucy.
It seems many or most dog books end with the death of the dog so I was happy to not have to have endured that here. The last chapter was heartbreaking in another way, though. You will never guess and I'm not saying.
Dave Barry is an excellent narrator of his own words and at the end, true emotion broke through. It felt very honest.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barry tempers his silly style with reflections that, if not exactly deep and profound, are kind and mature. This book is amusing and thoughtful.

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all in the delivery! If you shudder at the thought of another self-help book, relax, Dave Barry has made it fairly painless, thanks to Lucy, his life-lessons guru and aging dog.

LESSONS FROM LUCY is filled with humorous one-liners, chuckle-worthy scenarios and heart-felt reasons to embrace life just for the joy of it! If readers take nothing else away from this humorous look at life and its many foibles, it is the simple joy in living for the moment, loving with all you have, unconditionally and taking time for those around you without ulterior motives.

Fresh, fun reading with a ton of heart and beautiful lessons that are so often far easier to act on than holding a grudge or getting caught up in “society’s acceptables,” live, love and give of yourself! Dog lovers can relate to Lucy's attitude about life, maybe dogs are smarter than we give them credit for!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Simon & Schuster!

Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 2, 2019)
Publication Date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Humor | Self-help
Print Length: 208 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

With his trademark humor, Dave Barry has you laughing out loud as to the lessons he has learned from his dog, Lucy. While elementary and common sense teachings, he reminds you to make new and keep old friends, continue or renew having fun, be present now for those you love, release your anger (except if very important which is unlikely), don't judge others by their looks and get preoccupied with your own, things don't provide happiness, don't lie unless absolutely necessary, and be appreciative with what you have. He wants to revive The Rockbottom Remainders, which is a group of authors who can't play music or sing well but have lots of fun. I have seen them perform at the Miami Book Fair over the years and welcome their return. I loved his description of how Florida experiences a hurricane when he writes of pre and post Hurricane Irma. He is spot on.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is kind of a tongue-in-cheek self-help book delivering advice that Dave Barry learned from his dog. Sure, the words of advice are banal—things like “live in the moment”, and “don’t stress the small stuff”—but they’re also obviously true, and Barry makes it all funny. At least until the epilogue, which is quite serious. But still good.

If you like dogs and you think Dave Barry is funny then you’re sure to enjoy this book. If you don’t think that Barry is funny, that’s fine—to each his own. If you don’t like dogs, well that’s just sad. If you like dogs but not Dave Barry, you’ll probably find that there’s too much here about Dave and not enough about dogs.

Anyway, I listened to the audiobook while walking my dog and often found myself laughing out loud like an idiot. I am not making this up.

Here is the list of seven lessons:
1. Make new friends, and keep the ones you have
2. Don’t stop having fun, and if you have stopped, start having fun again
3. Pay attention to the people you love—not later, but right now
4. Let go of your anger. Unless it’s something really important, which it almost never is
5. Try not to judge people by their looks, and don’t obsess over your own
6. Don’t let your happiness depend on things. They don’t make you truly happy, and you’ll never have enough anyway
7. Don’t lie unless you have a very good reason, and you probably don’t


[Edit 3/3/23]:
Listened to this again with Belinda when we drove up to Michigan to visit the boys. She thinks there wasn’t enough here about dogs, but she still enjoyed it and laughed quite a bit. Except at the end of course.

[Elyse✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised that Dave Barry wrote a self-help book. He was too. He mentioned his surprise near the end of this book. It was more serious than his usual fare but he was talking about an important subject, DOGS. I've mostly been a cat slave (I'd have to think hard how many cats I've served) but I was also blessed with two dogs in my lifetime; Flint, a German Shepard mix, and later Opal, a Jack Russell Terrier mix. Those two had VERY different personalities and I learned a lot from both. They were sweethearts with just enough devil in them to be interesting.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet, amusing, touching book - a good reminder to appreciate what you have and be positive. It wasn't a laugh-out-loud kind of book. Maybe it's funnier for Dave Barry fans, dog owners, and people who live in Florida.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I can usually count on Dave Barry to give me a good belly laugh (for one of his funniest columns, Google "Hotel Shmotel Dave Barry") but I avoided his latest book as I really didn't want to read about a dog (not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just a little burned out of canine stories) and I certainly didn't want to read about the end of a dog's life. But I decided to try it and turned out it was a lovely book that while a bit more personally introspective of Barry's life and at times a little "self-help-y," still managed to make me guffaw and snort a number of times. Many of the lessons are simple but it's always good to be reminded of how we can make what time we have left pleasurable. And the dog didn't die.

Note: As I get older, my morning make-up routine has been pretty much reduced to slapping on sunscreen and plucking various hairs have sprouted on my face overnight. That's why my favorite part was when he talked about aging and not obsessing over how we all look: "I've reached the point where I think I'm looking pretty sharp if all my nose hairs are approximately the same length."

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as funny as unusual, but I suppose that was to be expected considering it's a book about making the most of your life before your inevitable death.

I was especially touched by the epilogue, where Barry talks about his daughter's paralysis. Sophie and I are the same age, and sometimes I sort of feel like I know her just from how much I've read about her in her father's books. Weird, I know.

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